Alex Barron

Oklahoma’s Republican Governor Criticizes National Guard Deployment in Chicago

“Oklahomans would lose their mind if Pritzker in Illinois sent troops down to Oklahoma during the Biden administration.”

The Republican chair of the National Governors Association breaks with Trump.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/u...

This post buries the lede: "Push for what you can't control alone. Vote for leaders who support climate-smart investments; demand action from those already in power; sign petitions; and join collective campaigns that drive change at scale."

Regardless of your views on green hydrogen, I think we can all agree Bloomberg needs to learn to pick the same axis scale in both side of this figure. #badcharts #econsky 🔌💡

"The incremental U.S. fossil-fuel profits in 2022 relative to 2021 were enough to increase the disposable income of the wealthiest Americans by several percent and compensate a substantial part of their purchasing power loss from inflation that year, thereby exacerbating inflation inequality. "

Opinion | Government shutdowns wouldn’t happen if they caused more pain Democratic leaders play a dangerous game as Trump threatens not to pay furloughed federal workers.

This editorial from @washingtonpost.com is disappointing because it is sloppy and misleading---if not factually wrong. As a piece by the Editorial Board (the voice of the paper), it threatens Washington Post's credibility and integrity. 1/15

www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

This is remarkable. The world added more solar and wind capacity in 2024 than we added demand. 100% of demand growth PLUS 9% to retire dirtier sources. Cheap energy keeps winning. ember-energy.org/latest-insig...

Sign of the times:
"The Trump administration is considering not providing back pay to furloughed federal workers — despite a 2019 law signed by President Donald Trump that mandates it, writes Robin Bravender."

www.eenews.net/articles/whi...

"Communities considering geothermal heat pump systems have been concerned about a long-term subsurface warming trend...Because of groundwater flow and winter shutoffs, we cannot identify any evidence of this trend [in this system]"
www.geosociety.org/GSA/Publicat...

Yes heat pumps do work in old buildings. @trinityoxford.bsky.social founded in 1555 got a ground source heat pump fitted by Rendesco in 2024 when the photo with the drilling rig was taken.

Compare it to what it looks like today - the tourists taking photos have no idea what’s under the lawn.

Decoupled: how Spain cut the link between gas and power prices using renewables | Ember Spain has some of the lowest wholesale electricity prices in Europe, largely owing to the country’s strong solar and wind growth which reduced the influence of expensive coal and gas power on the elec...

"Spain’s wind and solar growth has reduced the influence of expensive fossil generators on the electricity price by 75% since 2019.... As a result, Spain’s wholesale electricity price was 32% lower than the EU average in the first half of 2025." 🔌💡
ember-energy.org/latest-insig...

If anyone knows if I can still get one of these "About to Get Rail" t-shirts, please let me know. #transitanthem

Big Doughnutty News.
Just out in Nature: the all-new 2025 Doughnut. Transformed from a single-year snapshot to an annual global monitor of 21st century social & ecological thriving. Available to all in an open-access paper by @andrewlfanning.bsky.social and me. 🧵 1/
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Trump Administration Moves to Relax Rules on Climate Super Pollutants

EPA proposes weakening super-pollutant limits for rogue supermarkets and electronics firms. “This is not going to make potato chips or computer chips any cheaper,” said NRDC’s David Doniger.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/30/c...

Congrats to @danielswain.bsky.social - we need more scientists making sure science is reaching the public. #scicomm

time.com/collections/...

Also known for their air travel fund! doi.org/10.1525/elem...

It covers the technical engineering stuff but also finance, change management, building the business case - basically everything where you would want to avoid reinventing the wheel.

At least in the first round AASHE and the organizers were looking for groups of people from institutions - so a mix of sustainability, facilities, operations, planning, etc.

I should also flag the upcoming 2026 AASHE decarb academy for you, @jeffmanuel.bsky.social, and anyone else following.

bsky.app/profile/alex...

You can also check out @buildingdecarb.org's map here:
buildingdecarb.org/neighborhood...

My lab helped compile a crude database of HEI projects here:
www.aashe.org/calendar/cam...

I am pleased to report that we are dropping a working paper related to this later this month. @johnsmillie42.bsky.social is correct, you could check out @ballstate.bsky.social and @miamiuniversity.bsky.social for their geo-exchange TENs.

Al McGartland has been a huge force for improving policy analysis at EPA over the last half decade and I learned a ton from him during my time there.

Press Releases The Institute for Policy Integrity at NYU School of Law uses economics and law to support smart policies for the environment, public health, and consumers.

Today, we welcome Al McGartland to the Institute for Policy Integrity as our new Economic Policy Director.

McGartland served as the Director of the National Center for Environmental Economics at EPA until retiring from the agency this fall.

Welcome, Al! 🎉

policyintegrity.org/news/press-r...

Good morning with good news: Mckinsey Global Institute forecasts global EV sales will surge to "40%-59%" by 2030 from 22% in 2024!

Global EV sales are up 25% in the first 8 months of 2025, compared to same period in 2024.

They gain ~5 points/year.
www.mckinsey.com/mgi/our-rese... #energysky

Michigan’s governor replaces clean energy advocate on utilities board with ‘industry ally’ Critics say Gretchen Whitmer deposed Alessandra Carreon at the behest of state energy supplier DTE Energy

See also: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Monopoly Utilities Ousted America's Best Regulator Bummer news for utility bills.

CT and MI in the news this past month for some (unwelcome for clean energy and strong regulation) changes at Public Utility Commissions
(the Supreme Court for state electricity rates and policy that no one has heard of)
boondoggle.substack.com/p/monopoly-u...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Why US Cities Pay Too Much for Transit Buses A new paper argues that lack of competition, demand for custom features and “Buy America” rules have driven up costs for transit agencies in the US.

In the US, even a “cheap” transit bus costs 2-3x more than in Asia or Europe -- and one agency may pay twice as much as another for nearly identical vehicles.

In Bloomberg, I explored a ripe opportunity to improve transportation by applying Abundance-coded, supply-side reforms.

🧵

Just the U.S. Energy Secretary broadcasting to the world that he believes solar-powered electriciy abruptly stops “if the sun goes behind the cloud.”

Photo of the 60+ person BDC team from their last offsite meeting. Tinted yellow. It says "We're hiring!" in the left hand corner.

📣 We’re looking for a Director of State Mobilization! If you are passionate about accelerating the transition to clean heating & cooling, and excited about collaborating with policymakers & other stakeholders to move states’ building decarbonization policies forward, let’s talk! 🔌💡 bit.ly/48srqbx

AASHE’s Campus Decarbonization Academy returns in 2026, and applications are now open! This six-month, cohort-based program offers actionable solutions to guide your institution through the complex process of decarbonization, with support from campus and industry experts every step of the way.

You're working to decarbonize your campus, right? If you want a 6 month opportunity to get smart on decarbonization, the 2026 Campus Decarbonization Academy is worth checking out.

www.aashe.org/calendar/cam...